Country star Riley Green cheered for dropping Bud Light from song lyrics during show
Riley Green has dumped Bud Light.
The 34-year-old county music star drew cheers from his Nashville audience Friday night when he dropped the embattled brew from the lyrics of one of his best songs — and replaced it with Coors Light.
Green was performing at the Nissan Stadium when he jumped into the controversy over Anheuser-Busch’s sponsorship deal with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney by tweaking the lyrics of his 2019 hit “I Wish Grandpas Never Died,” Newsweek reported.
Instead of singing “And coolers never run out of cold Bud Light,” he belted out: “And coolers never run out of cold Coors Light!”
Green — whom the Academy of Country Music named New Male Artist of the Year for 2019 — went viral with his shout-out to Coors.
“Thanks for knowing your audience @RileyGreenMusic,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Good for him! He can say or sing whatever he wants. First Amendment right??” another said.
Self-described anti-woke lawyer Rogan O’Handley said on Twitter that the crowd at the stadium backed his lyrics change.
“The crowd goes nuts,” he said.
Shares of Coors’ parent company have soared by nearly 9% since its rival announced its ill-fated partnership with Mulvaney, who has more than 10 million followers on social media platforms, for an ad campaign.
The stock price of the Molson Coors Beverage Co. was trading at $51.68 a share at the end of March.
Anheuser-Busch sent the influencer a can with her likeness on it to commemorate one year since she transitioned genders — a move slammed by conservatives.
The ad campaign sparked calls for a boycott of the iconic brand — including from fellow country singers Travis Tritt and John Rich, and rocker Kid Rock, who used several cases of Bud Light for target practice.
On Friday, Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Brendan Whitworth issued a meek apology over the brew-haha.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people,” he said. “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer.” The top exec of the $132 billion beer giant added: “Moving forward, I will continue to work tirelessly to bring great beers to consumers across our nation.”
